Fantasy Lost in Words - Lore

[The One Eyed Bandit]

Index-

1. THE WORLD
2. LOCATIONS
3. NATIVES
4. CULTURE
5. TECHNOLOGY

 

[The One Eyed Bandit]

THE WORLD​

The Library
The only world you’ve ever known is the endless halls of the Library. Dust covered and bathed perpetually in greyish sunlight, the Library isn’t much different from one that you’d find in some old, second grade college or sitting forgotten in a town more ancient than time. Everything is wood and paper, metal of any kind being one of the greatest rarities in its halls. Books of all descriptions line its shelves, those of stories, science, religion, and everything in between. But, it is a place of magic. The halls are massive and unending, becoming bizarre in anywhere but the deepest of the Inner Depths. At first dead ends become common and staircases lead into themselves, but should you delve deeper the laws of the world itself come to change. You’ll walk on walls, doors will lead to impossible places, wood will bend like water, all things growing twisted and unusual the further you adventure.

The Library is a world in and of itself, and you could live lifetimes without ever braving the Outer Shallows. Many do.

Just because the Library is without forests and oceans, does not mean it is a world without life. At its shallowest you’ll find a veritable metropolis. Rooms are repurposed, the halls are lined with stalls and stands, the place like a bizarre and bustling marketplace. It’s where you’ll be able to buy whatever you need, and where you’ll find lodgings fine enough to turn even the best innkeepers green with envy. The deeper one ventures, the rarer havens like this become. And much like the Library itself, they grow stranger and stranger. Every one though, is either abandoned or maintained by the Library’s enigmatic natives. The Dolls.

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The Twisting
The further you move from the Great Chute, the more twisted the Library becomes. Something generally referred to as ‘The Twisting’, hallways turn in on themselves, geometry twists and turns in impossible ways, and the walls themselves seem to seek to deliver you peril. Pitfalls, tripwires, faulty supports, perilous climbs, dangerous natives, the list goes on.

The origin and purpose of this is unknown. Some call it a prison, others a guardian, others still a reaction to the presence of the Mites and to rare few an object of worship, even. No camp seems any closer to understanding it than any others, however, their respective assaults, respects, studies, and rituals doing little other than fan their own flames. To most Scholars, the question is an irrelevant one. Concerning themselves with surviving its dangers seems to be well and truly enough to keep the mind occupied. There’s no point in collecting a haul of Signatures if you’re not even going to be able to bring them home, after all.

 

[The One Eyed Bandit]

LOCATIONS​

Alexandria
The central hub, so to speak, of the Library. Dead in the center of the Explored Rooms, it is the jewel of civilization, remodelled so far from its original state that it would be unrecognizable to the Library’s architects. Hundreds of rooms, stretching ten floors high have been hollowed out, converting what was once a labyrinth of rooms and bookshelves into an open aired city. The sky, naturally, is still one of wood and dangling chandeliers, but you’ll find no place less claustrophobic than Alexandria. It’s a hub of business, trade, and the common life. The place where Dolls too weary or young to explore call home.

The city’s layout is fairly freefrom. It lacks the Districts or Quarters that a more advanced one might have, everything instead being built where it could be, when it needed to be. You’ll have to wrestle with swathes of unrelated stores built next to one another, and places of importance tucked away in absurd places. Despite its claims to be the most open city in the Library, it’s certainly very easy to get lost in.

Perhaps its greatest claim to fame is The Great Chute. A gaping hole in the roof of the Library, in fact, the only hole in the roof of the Library, from which all Dolls emerge, plummeting from the heavens. All attempts to scale it have been fruitless, expeditions having spent weeks climbing its walls only to find nothing.

Barrier City
Rivaling Alexandria, Barrier City is a enormous ring that encompasses the Inner Depths of the Library. Originally built to ward off the threat presented by The Great Grey, it slowly but surely expanded into what it is today. Long and winding, it plays the role of both rest stop for those delving into the Outer Library, and a shield against that which lurks within it.

If Alexandria is the Jewel of the Library, then Barrier City is the Ring that it sits upon.

The Inner Depths, and Outer Shallows
A misleading name, the Inner Depths refers to anything that lays within the boundaries of Barrier City. They’re considered safer, easier to navigate, and generally the ‘civil’ area of the Library. They still have their mysteries to be solved, but they are far less common and more competitively pursed than those in the Outer Shallows.

The Outer Shallows refers to everything else. Beyond Barrier City, unmapped, wild and untamed. You might find the odd outpost or dwindling settlement, but they are few, far between, and short-lived more often than not.

The Great Grey
What might be called a ‘City of Mites’. A massive sect of the Library, roughly two thirds the size of Alexandria that has been picked clean by the Mites. An endless expanse of grey, decaying wood set to a choir of insectile chittering and scuttling. It directly borders the origin point of Barrier City, and is at a constant war with the warriors that call it home. For the time being, its borders and spread have been contained, but all attempts to purge it completely have ended in drastic failure. Even after the hundreds of years since Barrier City’s establishment, what lies at the core of the Great Grey remains unknown.

 

[The One Eyed Bandit]

NATIVES​

The Dolls
Born from the Great Chute that lies above Alexandria, each Doll comes into the world with the mental abilities of a fully fledged adult. They have an innate understanding of how to operate their body and the language of their kin.

Not all Dolls are the same, however. They come in shapes and sizes as varied as the colors of the rainbow. At their smallest, they measure about as tall as a novel, and at their tallest, the size of a small adult human. Some stand made of hard, supple wood, others as shining porcelain, some even as soft plush, and the list goes on. To each and every one of them however, death does not come easily.

To kill a Doll, they must, quite nearly literally, be reduced to dust. A doll’s consciousness isn’t held within a brain or any other easily destroyed organ, but instead in the entirety of its body. So long as there is a semblance of hope that it may be physically reconstructed, a Doll consciousness or ‘Soul’ will cling to life, residing in so little as a bisected head.

No Doll knows why they live, or how their lives began, even the greatest minds of their three hundred year history only having guessed towards their origin. For most, it is an irrelevant question. The population at large is no different from the norm. The young are taught, the old work jobs, and only a select few rise above the cogs of mundane society.

Their currency is called a Signature. Small scraps of card torn from the front of many books, scrawled with names of unknown men and women, in a language none recognize. Almost every book in the civilized areas of the Library have has had their covers and snipes stripped away for use as the precious currency, leading many out of the Library’s depths in search of easy riches.

Those who do are known as Scholars.

Common Forms of Doll​

Marionettes​

Made of sturdy, flexible wood and standing around the height of an A4 sheet of paper, Marionettes are the most human-like and numerous of the Doll community. Approximately forty percent of Dolls are Marionettes, though a disproportionate eighty percent of them choose to stay within the confines of the Inner Shallows. They're stereotyped as politicians, businessfolk and the 'common populace', much to the chagrin of Marionette Scholars.​

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Plush​

A smaller group of Dolls that stands made of a soft, fluffy interior and a fabric outer layer of varying qualities. Their shapes and sizes vary the most wildly of the Doll groups, but they're generally on the shorter side when compared with the Marionettes. They're stereotyped as artists and unpredictable oddballs. They make up thirty percent of the population.​

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Models​

Standing at the same average height as the Marionettes, Models are their, perhaps eerier, cousins. Made of a sleek, glossy porcelain, they strike a stark contrast against the rest of the library, even their fellow dolls. With their hard, heavy frames that can even act as armor and ability to weaponize their jaggedly shattered wounds, they're definitely stereotyped as the most suited form of Doll for work as a Scholar, even if they've also got the hardest time recovering from their wounds. They make up twenty percent of the population.​

Unclassed​

Dolls that don't fit into any of the three major Doll types. They are, naturally, the most wildly varying form of Doll, ranging from spring-loaded jesters to multi-bodied matryoshkas. They lack any real stereotypes, and make up ten percent of the population.​

Mites
The Library is not a place without its risks. Besides the plummeting falls and deadly traps that spring out of the bizarre architecture in its depths, it plays host to insectile aberrations known as Mites. Wild vermin, their territory is marked by one thing only, an endlessly voracious appetite. Coming in sizes both large and small, they gnaw at both the Library itself, and any Doll unfortunate enough to cross their path.

Their origins are just as mysterious as the Doll’s, colonies springing up from what seems like nowhere and ravaging the halls around them if left unchecked. Unlike the Dolls though, they do bleed, and they do die. What they lack in longevity and wits, they make up for in numbers and instinct. Even a newborn Mite can be dangerous to the unprepared Doll, be they civilian or Scholar.

Other
Supposedly other threats roam the Library’s halls too. Great, hulking monsters of power and fury, mightier than any Mite or Doll. But, they are likely just fairy tale and myth. A boogie man called ‘Librarian’ fabricated to keep the young and brash in check.

 

[The One Eyed Bandit]

CULTURE​

Scholars

While not all of them are driven by greed, those who explore the unknown halls of the Library are collectively known as Scholars. They’re what the pauper doll dreams of becoming one day, and what the population at large relies on to support its continued growth. Their dives into the Library bring back many things, from Signatures, to never before seen tomes, to news of new settlements that have popped up in some place or another.

They’re generally well liked by the civilian population, the sort to always be a hit at a bar as they regale an audience with flights of fancy. Their wealth, naturally, is directly tied to their success. Some stumble across great riches, others go years living off of the meager pickings left behind by other adventurers, while yet another group lives rough and wild, going on years long expeditions and only returning from civilization when they’ve no other choice.

Other Factions
There is a clear divide in Doll Culture between the inhabitants of Alexandria and Barrier City. The prior typically a much more refined and civilized lot, and the latter battle-bred warriors.

One of the more notable differences in the populations of the cities, is the Translator’s Guild. Based in the center block of Alexandria the Translator’s Guild is dedicated to deciphering the contents of the books that litter the library. They’re responsible for many of the advances in both technology and general knowledge in Doll society. Their relationship with the Barrier City based Scholar’s Guild is one mostly of business. They’ll pay handsomely for any rare or undiscovered books and pass on any knowledge relating to combat or weaponscraft to them, but they otherwise keep relationship loose and string free.

It’s not unheard of to hear of a Translator asking to tag along on a Scholar expedition, but thanks to their generally lacking combative ability many groups will deny them permission to do so. The rare few who are either lucky or skilled enough to find a regular adventuring party are often invaluable companions, offering a much sought after wealth of knowledge and for their more senior members, and even on the spot translations.

The rich of Doll society are usually either retired Scholars or prolific Translators. The rare few that’ve earned their wealth through means unrelated to the Guilds being influential, key players in society. Weaponsmiths, market giants and cultural leaders that make up the framework for the general populace of society.

Minor factions include the Runner’s, Citizen’s and Market Guilds. Respectively, a courier and caravan service, the managers of Alexandria as well as settlers of general disputes, and regulators of both Alexandrian and Barrier City store keeps, ensuring proper, clean business practices.

Misc
Life for the citizen that is not a member of any of the major or minor guilds is usually fairly monotone. Without the need to eat or worry about the general upkeep that creatures of flesh or blood do, most of their time is spent on recreation or creativity. Socializing and sport make up the most of the day for the untalented or lazy, with nights usually spent at a local bar in hopes of an interesting Scholar entertaining them for the night. Because of this, it isn’t uncommon for Dolls to take for a life of adventure, but it equally not-uncommon for them to return after only a few months, repelled by the dangers of the uncolonized Library.

About forty percent of the population live as normal citizens, thirty as Scholars, twenty as members of the Minor Guilds, and only ten as Translators.

While Dolls do not need food or drink, it is still present in their culture. Mite Meat, while not particularly appealing visually makes for a decent enough meal to raise the spirits. A careful mix of their digestive juices and blood also makes for a beverage that achieves an effect similar to intoxication, a popular export from Barrier City.

 

[The One Eyed Bandit]

TECHNOLOGY​

General
The most bountiful resource in the Library is wood, so it’s only natural that society is built up out of it. In a Doll settlement, you’ll see hide nor hair of a stone or brick, its structures constructed from woodwork ranging from careful to slipshot. Paper too sees itself used in construction, often for windows and doors, or more temporary structures meant to be constructed and deconstructed with haste. Even weapons are made up of wood, aside from the rare magically-powered papercraft piece of gear or even rarer, outright mythical weapon forged from cold steel.

Metal is a rarity. Most Dolls go their whole lives without so much as holding it, and that which is found is usually already forged into some mythical weapon. A lucky find for any Scholar to be sure, but to the average Doll, metal is no more than an item of luxury or status, their culture lacking the technology to reforge it into any advanced forms.

Doll-Carts are the only form of transportation within the Inner Shallows. They’re small, one to two person carts pulled along by particularly physically powerful Dolls, either on foot or by cycle. They’re reasonably popular amongst the more wealthy, less physically able and just plain lazy of the populace, but don’t offer anything on the level of a horse or car.